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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23122120">School sucks but you don't</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fating/pseuds/Fating'>Fating</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Guns N' Roses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Prom, Tutoring, Underage Drinking</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:13:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,119</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23122120</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fating/pseuds/Fating</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Highschool au where Slash offers to help Axl with homework and Axl decided to repay him by going to prom with him. But would it be that easy?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Axl Rose/Slash | Saul Hudson, Duff McKagan/Izzy Stradlin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Slash just wanted to have his mental breakdown.</p>
<p>He just wanted to cry, let it all out and then buy some alcohol with his fake ID. He certainly didn’t expect to find another person in the bathroom. He chose this one specifically because it was broken and nobody would come here.</p>
<p>Well… He was wrong!</p>
<p>“What the hell are you doing here?” A boy asked, and Slash recognized him as Axl Rose, the school’s resident troublemaker and sex dream. Now, Slash knew more about his reputation than about Axl himself, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t have quite a crush on him.</p>
<p>“I was about to cry my eyes out but apparently you’re already doing it.” He said, trying to hide his embarrassment. He never thought that a guy as tough as the redhead would break down in a shitty high school bathroom.</p>
<p>“W-what happened to you?” Axl asked, genuinely concerned. Wait, Axl was concerned about him?</p>
<p>“My teacher is an asshole and I don’t have anyone to go to prom with. Well, let’s say that nobody wants to go to prom with me.” The curly-haired boy replied, a bit sad. “So what happened to you?</p>
<p>“I think I’m going to fail this year. And… well, my stepfather won’t be happy about it!” he mumbled, like he was scared to be laughed at or insulted. </p>
<p>Slash immediately felt a wave of guilt crashing over him. Fuck, his problems seemed so small compared to the older boy’s. </p>
<p>“Oh shit, man! I’m so sorry, I must seem like a whiny bitch for complaining about such a small thing.”</p>
<p>“It’s okay, dude. That’s what this bathroom is for!” Axl said, a dry laughing escaping his mouth. </p>
<p>Saul looked at him and decided that he wanted to help this poor boy. Maybe it was his hidden scared expression, or his beautiful eyes or his silky hair, but Slash was already head over heels for him. Shit.</p>
<p>“Maybe I could help you. I’m not the brightest student, but I have decent grades.” The dark-haired boy proposed with a smile.</p>
<p>Axl looked at him, a bit confused, like he wasn’t used to human help, then a little smile crept on his face.</p>
<p>“You’d really do that? For me? Thanks, man!” Axl said, and then added, “How can I repay you?” </p>
<p>“There’s no need to.”</p>
<p>“Maybe I could go to prom with you! Like as a way to repay you.” The redhead suggested, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Yeah, I’d totally love to go to prom with you, beautiful angel! Slash thought.</p>
<p>“I-I mean, you d-don’t have to! But I’d really enjoy going with you.” Slash said, trying to sound as chill as possible. Axl’s smile was very visible now, and it was hard to believe that he was the most badass son of a bitch in the school.</p>
<p>“ Still, thanks dude! Uh… See you tomorrow at your place, then. If it’s okay with you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that’s okay. See you tomorrow!” </p>
<p>The older boy gave him a pat on the shoulder, then he exited the bathroom. </p>
<p>Yep Slash, you’re totally fucked now!</p>
<p>The next morning the curly-haired boy had his head in the clouds, totally ignoring what his teacher or anyone else was saying. All his thoughts were diverging towards a certain redheaded boy that he was going to meet later in the day.</p>
<p>“You’re totally out of it today, aren’t you? What’s going on?” Slash’s best friend Duff asked, after trying to catch the other boy’s attention for the third time during the lesson.</p>
<p>“If I tell you that I’m just too interested in learning to not care about you, would you believe me?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, totally!” The tall boy replied sarcastically.</p>
<p>“Well… Axl Rose is coming to my house to study later,” he whispered, his tone a bit scared.</p>
<p>“Okay, but I don’t understand what this has to do with you being… OH SHIT! You totally have a crush on him!”</p>
<p>“Would you lower your voice, damn! I don’t want the whole school to hear.”</p>
<p>“Aww, little Slash is in love and embarrassed!” The blond taunted him.</p>
<p>“Fuck you, Duff!”</p>
<p>“So, how exactly did that happen? It’s not like you and the school’s resident criminal talk every day.”</p>
<p>“Um… Promise me you won’t tell this to anybody, okay? Swear it on your bass guitar!” Slash stated seriously.</p>
<p>“Okay, man, but you better hope that nothing happens to my baby or I’ll cut all your guitar’s strings!”</p>
<p>Slash simply told him everything, trying to not leave out any details, hoping that his friend would be able to tell if Axl was into him or not.</p>
<p>“I don’t know, man. It was an encounter that was too short to let you know anything. Try to drop some hints when you two are together. After all, he’s your date to prom so you have to get to know each other a bit.” Duff declared, and then the bell rang.</p>
<p>“I have gym now, see you later Giraffe!” The curly-haired man said playfully.</p>
<p>“Slash… Just be careful, Axl Rose can be a heartbreaker!” His best friend said, giving him a pat.</p>
<p>Oh believe me Duff, he has already broken mine and we still have to start.</p>
<p>—- </p>
<p>The afternoon came way too soon, in Saul’s opinion, and now he was freaking out. Why was he freaking out? Wasn’t he the chilliest dude on Earth? Apparently his shy side take on. Or he was just hopelessly in love with Axl?</p>
<p>The bell suddenly rang and as he opened the door, he was faced with his favorite redhead: fuck, he looked so hot with his leather pants, band shirt, and his badass attitude. He gave the younger boy a charming smile as he entered his living room.</p>
<p>“So where are we going to study?” Axl asked, trying to seem interested. Slash was well aware that studying wasn’t his favorite activity.</p>
<p>“In my bedroom.” The curly-haired boy replied, chill.</p>
<p>“Well, usually bedrooms are for other activities! But since you’re my tutor, I guess I have to follow you,” Axl smirked. </p>
<p>Wait, was Axl trying to say something to him?</p>
<p>Slash tried to regain his composure and to not fucking blush right in front of him. He simply turned around and gestured for the other boy to follow him, leading him to his room.</p>
<p>“Wow dude, is that a Queen poster? I fucking love them!” Axl said, enthusiastic. </p>
<p>“I get that from your T-shirt, but I’m glad to have someone to talk about rock!” Saul said back, a little smile forming on his mouth. Axl seemed a bit taken off, but he smiled back.</p>
<p>“I think it’s time that we start to study, this is what I’ve come here for, right?” Axl stated, trying to not sound nervous. Axl Rose was nervous?</p>
<p>The younger man just nodded and had him sit on his bed.</p>
<p>Slash actually found out that Axl wasn’t “dumb” or that bad at studying. He just needed time and someone who helped him and explained things he didn’t know.</p>
<p>“Did I get the correct answer?” The redhead asked for the hundredth time.</p>
<p>“No man, I’m sorry. It was B.” Slash said, feeling a bit sad for the poor guy.</p>
<p>“Ugh, dude, can we be done for the day? I can come back tomorrow, if that’s okay with you. I don’t think I can fit any more information in my brain!” Axl’s voice sounded really tired.</p>
<p>“Yeah totally, I’ll grab something to drink, you can lay on the bed, if you want to.” Saul said, trying to sound as chill as possible. </p>
<p>Luckily his parents were still outside, so he could steal two beers from the fridge and a couple of his mother’s cigarettes. A part of him was so happy that Axl was going to come over again tomorrow; he couldn’t wait to spend more time with him, but he also wondered if Axl did that on purpose. </p>
<p>Did Axl Rose really want to spend more time with him? Or was he just trying to use him? Slash offered his help, so that couldn’t be!</p>
<p>Lost in his thoughts, the younger boy almost didn’t notice his guest taking an interest in his guitar.</p>
<p>“Do you like it?” He asked calmly, and Axl almost jumped.</p>
<p>“Oh shit man, I didn’t mean to be nosy. It’s just that I didn’t know you had an electric guitar!” Axl justified himself, sounding a bit nervous.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I play, I’m hoping to be in a band someday. Wanna hear something?” The redhead just nodded and Slash started to tune his guitar.</p>
<p>“Do you have any requests?” Slash asked. Axl simply shook his head.</p>
<p>Saul decided to play something that he wrote a while ago; he tried to let his heart lead him, forcing himself to not look at the beautiful boy standing next to him. </p>
<p>After a couple of minutes, he heard a voice sing in such a wonderful way that he stopped playing for a second. He lifted his gaze and found Axl staring at him, still singing. </p>
<p>“I didn’t know that you could sing! Honestly, I didn’t expect that from you.” Slash stated, and Axl blushed a tiny bit.</p>
<p>“You also didn’t tell me that you could play this good! And, well, I’m in the church choir.” He almost whispered the last part, like he was ashamed of it. Slash didn’t comment on that, not wanting to upset him.</p>
<p>“It’s just something that I wrote. What song was that, anyway?” Saul said, trying to avoid focusing the attention on himself. </p>
<p>“I wrote it.” Axl replied, then grabbed his beer and took a sip.</p>
<p>Slash put a random record on, then he gestured to Axl to sit on his bed. They stayed like that for a while, the curly-haired boy trying to get closer and closer to the other without being noticed. Axl had his eyes closed, enjoying the music, and Slash thought that he was the most wonderful boy on Earth.</p>
<p>When the song was over, the redhead looked at the clock. His eyes were wide and he gulped down what was left of his beer in a single sip.</p>
<p>“Fuck… Shit… Man it’s really late, I have to go now. Is it okay for me to come on Thursday?” He sounded really scared, like something bad was about to happen.</p>
<p>Slash simply nodded and led him to the front door. Before leaving, he hugged him awkwardly; he could smell cigarettes, alcohol, and his cologne. He wanted it to last forever, he didn’t want Axl to leave this fast—He wanted Axl to like him back.</p>
<p>As soon as he shut the door, he let himself fall on the couch. He was so confused… Why did Axl have to rush away like that? Why did he seem so sweet but also distant? Would he keep his promise to go to prom with him?</p>
<p>“Axl Rose can be a heartbreaker!” Slash heard Duff’s voice in his head.</p>
<p>He just hoped that wasn’t the case.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Highschool au where Slash offers to help Axl with homework and Axl decided to repay him by going to prom with him. But would it be that easy?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day Axl didn’t come to school.</p>
<p>Slash noticed it during math, the only class they shared. He was worried something could have happened to him, but also hurt because he didn’t understand his behavior; Axl seemed to be happy with him but then he suddenly left. What if he was trying to avoid him?</p>
<p>“What’s on your mind, lovebird?” Duff said, and Slash jumped. He had just realized that he’d been staring his locker for 5 minutes.</p>
<p>Saul told him everything that happened the day before. His best friend was listening with an unreadable expression on his face.</p>
<p>“Man, I’m sorry, but I told you that Axl is a heartbreaker!” The blond replied firmly.</p>
<p>“Oh c’mon, you’re my best friend! You should support me!”</p>
<p>“You’re my best friend and I hate seeing you suffer because of him. Next time you two see each other, be cold and distant. If he really wants you, he has to show you! Now, I have to go, but see you later dude.” The taller boy said, sympathetically, as the bell rang.</p>
<p>When Slash entered the classroom, something weird happened: a black-haired boy started walking towards him. Slash recognized him as Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose’s best friend. Now, Izzy’s never talked to many people, let alone Slash, but still he sat next to him, and in his most serious tone, he said:</p>
<p>“Don’t mess with Axl.”</p>
<p>“Sorry man, what?”</p>
<p>“I know that you’re helping him with his homework. Don’t expect anything in exchange and don’t hurt him.” The pale boy said, without any hesitation.</p>
<p>Slash was utterly confused by Izzy’s words, but before he could reply, Izzy was already gone. Who was he? His father? Why the hell was he basically threatening him?</p>
<p>When the last bell finally rang, Slash bolted out of the classroom and hoped tomorrow wouldn’t be as weird.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Axl showed up at Slash’s house on Thursday afternoon, just like he said he was going to. He had a busted lip and a black eye, and he seemed a lot less cocky than usual.</p>
<p>“What happened to you?” Slash asked, worried.</p>
<p>“I fell off my skateboard and hit the concrete. Let’s go study?” The redhead simply replied, and Slash didn’t push him any further. Well, the concrete must have pretty strong fists to cause that!</p>
<p>This time, Axl was way more distracted, but he managed to somehow understand some pretty complex stuff (even if it took double the time). Slash tried to be as indifferent as possible, like Duff told him to, but it was really hard when Axl looked like a puppy in danger.</p>
<p>They were laying on the bed, several books scattered on the floor as they were trying to answer the questions.</p>
<p>“You said that you weren’t very good at this, but you lied!” Axl said, looking the other boy firmly in the eyes.</p>
<p>“Maybe you’re the smart one and youwere lying!” Slash replied with a hint of a smile.</p>
<p>“Damn, Slasher, you’re just as soft as your hair. I can’t believe you didn’t have anyone to go to prom with.”</p>
<p>Slash felt his cheeks heating up a bit, while Axl only smirked. He didn’t want to fall that easy so he decided to just continuing reading.</p>
<p>After two hours of studying, the redhead interrupted him again.</p>
<p>“Dude, sorry for asking you this, but can we be done for today? I feel like my head is going to explode!” Axl said dramatically, and Slash simply nodded.</p>
<p>“I’ll go downstairs and grab us some beers!” Saul said, but Axl stopped him.</p>
<p>“I have a joint, we can spilt it if you want!”</p>
<p>Slash was a bit unsure at first, but then his wild instincts took on and he happily agreed.</p>
<p>Fifteen minutes later and they were both high. Slash had his head on Axl’s shoulder while the other boy was petting his hair. The younger boy started to rub some circles on the older one’s leg, as he felt sleep taking over him. They stayed like that for a while, neither of them were embarrassed by their display of affection.</p>
<p>“Is this annoying?” Axl asked, referring to the hair touching.</p>
<p>“No, I love it, please keep doing it sweetie!” Slash almost wanted to punch himself for the stupid nickname, but he was too tired and his eyelids started to slowly close.</p>
<p>“Dream On” By Aerosmith was playing in the background, and Axl was softly singing along, almost like a lullaby. The redhead’s wonderful voice and the weed’s effects made Slash completely fall asleep in a couple of minutes.</p>
<p>“You’re too good, Slash. I can’t ruin you!” Axl said as he got up, trying not to wake Slash. He took what was left of the joint, then he shut the front door.</p>
<p>The next day at school, Slash was confused even more than before. He didn’t understand why he woke up to an empty bed: it was too early for Axl to go back home, but he still decided to leave. He seemed so sweet and careful while petting his hair, but then he disappeared.</p>
<p>This shit was getting old and Slash was tired of it!</p>
<p>Since he wasn’t ready to deal with teachers, or people in general, he decided to hide into the infamous broken bathroom until he could calm himself down.</p>
<p>Just as he was about to open the door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks: it was already half open and he could see Axl Rose kissing a girl who looked like Lita Ford, a blonde badass who shared biology class with him.</p>
<p>Slash had no idea how to feel, his head too confused and his heart too hurt to understand anything. He knew that Axl and him were not together, that it was stupid to act like this because they weren’t boyfriends, but it still hurt; it hurt to know that Axl never meant his beautiful smiles or his all flirting. Maybe Duff was right. Maybe it was just a game for the redhead, maybe he just used Slash for his help and he regretted proposing to go to prom with him.</p>
<p>The last thing the curly-haired boy wanted to do was to listen to a teacher, so he decided to ditch school all together. However, as he was grabbing the door’s handle, he felt somebody pulling him.</p>
<p>“Hey man, can I ask you something?”Axl said, a bit hesitant.</p>
<p>Of course it would be Axl! Slash just wanted to scream at him, say a big “fuck you” and walk out of the door; but there was something weird about the other boy: he looked absolutely terrified. Now everyone who knew Axl Rose would also know that he’s the one scaring people, not the other way around.</p>
<p>“Sure. What’s up, man?” Slash said, trying to sound as neutral as possible.</p>
<p>“C-can I crash at your place later?”</p>
<p>Saul was a bit taken aback by the redhead’s question, but how he was behaving told him that he couldn’t refuse. But he promised to himself to treat him as cold and as neutral as possible, maybe even confront him about it. Yes, Slash, totally. Do you wanna look like a crazy boyfriend?</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure. Now, I have to go, but you know how to get to my house. It’ll just be me and you, so don’t worry about ringing the bell.”</p>
<p>“Oh, well, then we could make plenty of noise!” The redhead replied, and Saul almost choked on thin air.</p>
<p>This time Slash was more than just nervous; he was pretty irritated. Part of him felt like Axl was taking advantage of his help, but at the same time he didn’t ask to come to study this time, just to crash at his place. It was like Axl trusted him, for some unknown reason.</p>
<p>When he opened the door, he tried to be as neutral as possible. Axl seemed to not notice it, too tired to actually do anything.</p>
<p>“Man, I hate asking you this, but c-can I take a nap?” He said, with an embarrassed voice and Slash was even more confused than he already was.</p>
<p>The curly-haired boy really wanted to be mean, to tell Axl to do whatever he wanted, to just give him an annoyed look, but there was something about Axl that was stopping him: Axl looked so vulnerable.</p>
<p>“Yes, sure dude, take my bed. I’ll just stay here in case you need me.”</p>
<p>The redhead gave him a soft smile and then went upstairs.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Slash started playing guitar, without plugging it of course, in an attempt to distract himself. He was also debating whether or not he should talk to Axl about what he had seen earlier this morning. He knew too well that keeping it a secret would kill him, so he decided to just be honest. He would have helped him anyway, even if their prom deal was cut. He would be really sad about it, but he would never obligate him to do it; he just hated people playing with his feelings.</p>
<p>About twenty minutes later, Axl came downstairs, his hair all messy and his eyes still sleepy.</p>
<p>“Hey, there’s something I need to tell you.” He said as soon as Slash acknowledged him.</p>
<p>“Me too man, wanna grab a beer and go to the backyard? It’s a nice day and I feel like I’ve been trapped inside too much!” Slash proposed, and the redhead nodded.</p>
<p>“So, what do you want to talk about?”</p>
<p>“I think a found a date for you. For prom, I mean,” Axl stated, and Slash felt like his heart broke a bit. He looked down, unsure of what to say and how to hide his disappointment.</p>
<p>“W-who?” He settled for, his voice trembling a bit.</p>
<p>“Joan Jett. She’s Lita’s best friend. A cool chick, a totally badass.” He replied confidently.</p>
<p>Slash looked him directly in the eyes, and he felt a weird feeling in his chest.</p>
<p>“Prom is in four days, man. If you didn’t want to go with me, you could’ve just said it. If you wanted to play with my heart for all this time, please don’t.” Slash said, and a single tear rolled down his cheek.</p>
<p>He went back in his house, closed the door, and then he let himself slide down against the wall as he started to silently cry.</p>
<p>Maybe Axl Rose really did break his heart after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks so much to @westcoasting for correcting all my gramar mistakes</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. III</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Highschool au where Slash offers to help Axl with homework and Axl decided to repay him by going to prom with him. But would it be that easy?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as he woke up, Slash knew that he wasn’t going to go to school.</p>
<p>He had spent all evening staring up at his ceiling, trying to understand what had gone wrong. He genuinely believed that something could happen between him and Axl, but he guessed that the redhead thought he was a fucking joke. A stupid naïve idiot who really believed that somebody would choose to go to prom with him.</p>
<p>He pretended to get ready anyway, but as soon as he arrived at school, he spotted a fluffy haired blond that he knew too well.</p>
<p>“Yo Slash, what’s up?” Steven Adler, his childhood best friend asked, with a smile. Damn, that kid always smiled no matter what.</p>
<p>“Do you wanna ditch?” </p>
<p>The younger boy energetically nodded, then he got his backpack and motioned for Slash to follow him.</p>
<p>“You know that I’m always gonna say yes to that, man. But first, we need to buy some beers. Do you have your fake ID?” </p>
<p>A little smirk appeared on Slash’s face. Maybe a bit of alcohol could make him forgot about all this shit. Or maybe make it worse. He nodded, then followed behind Steven. </p>
<p>“So, what happened?” Steven asked.</p>
<p>“Why does something have to happen? Can’t I just want to ditch school?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, but you’ve been acting weird lately and Duff said that he can’t tell me anything!”</p>
<p>Slash was glad that his best friends had the decency to not share anything without his consent, but at the same time he didn’t want to talk about it at the moment. He knew that it would help, but he was scared that he’d break down and cry.</p>
<p>“I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anybody. Also, I need beer first!”</p>
<p>20 minutes and half a beer later, Slash told Steven everything he needed to know; he was actually proud of himself because he didn’t cry.</p>
<p>“Oh, shit man, that sounds like a sticky situation. But I don’t think Axl would do something like that!”</p>
<p>“Well, he did!” Slash said, a bit irritated.</p>
<p>“Then move on, man. Now I have to go, but why don’t you try to get to know your prom date better? Maybe she won’t be that bad!” Steven smiled. </p>
<p>The next day, Slash found that Joan was actually a really cool girl but, unfortunately, she wasn’t Axl. Yeah, she was a badass, and yeah, their music tastes were pretty similar, but still she didn’t have Axl’s beautiful smile, she wouldn’t look at him with pure imagination when he was explaining some weird science experiment, she wouldn’t stroke his hair, she didn’t have his smile.</p>
<p>Because he was so distracted, he ended up bumping into someone—Axl Rose to be precise.</p>
<p> Of course it’s him. </p>
<p>“Oh, hey Slash!” He said, his usual smile on his lips. </p>
<p>Remember Slash, you’re angry. Don’t get fooled by that smile.</p>
<p> Hi.” Slash replied, as cold as possible.</p>
<p>Axl seemed a bit confused, but he handed him a notebook. “Can you give this to Duff? And tell him Izzy says thanks!”</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure.” </p>
<p>“Well, I have to go now. See you at prom, pretty boy!” Axl said, complete with a little smirk. </p>
<p>The audacity of that boy!</p>
<p>Slash tried to ignore his frustration while he searched for his best friend. He eventually found him standing against a row of the lockers and talking to Steven.</p>
<p>“Why did you give your notes to Izzy Stradlin?” Saul asked, pissed off.</p>
<p>“Shouldn’t I have done it?” Duff asked, confused.</p>
<p>“Oh, I mean, his best friend totally didn’t break my heart!” Slash said dramatically, and Steven went to hug him.</p>
<p>“Hey, you still have a date! And don’t worry about that asshole, he lost the opportunity of a lifetime.” He gave Slash a pat on the back, then hurried off to his classroom.</p>
<p>But Slash didn’t want to cry, so even if his heart hurt, he decided to try to actually enjoy prom night. </p>
<p>Everything is going to be okay.</p>
<p>— </p>
<p>When the doorbell rang, Slash was still taming his curls. His parents had left earlier, kissing him good luck, so he had to go downstairs.</p>
<p>Joan insisted to come to pick him up ‘cause she was just that badass and independent, not that Slash was complaining. But when he opened the door, it wasn’t Joan who was standing there. </p>
<p>It was Axl Rose!</p>
<p>“What the hell are you doing here?” Slash asked, confused, raising his eyebrows.</p>
<p>“Well… Lita dumped me last minute to go to prom with Joan, so since we both don’t have dates, Steven suggested that we should join him, Duff and Izzy so we all would be a group of five idiot friends going to prom together!” Axl said. </p>
<p>Slash looked at him for a moment, his thoughts travelling as fast as a train. Should he trust him? Should he give him another opportunity to break his heart?  He would be lying if he said that he didn’t want to spend the night with Axl, but they also wouldn’t be alone. </p>
<p>What should he do?</p>
<p>“Okay. Just give me a minute.” He replied, literally slamming the door in Axl’s face. </p>
<p>He looked at himself in the mirror, taming his wild curls, then let out a breath. He took the flower corsage that he was supposed to give to Joan and opened again the door. Axl stood there, looking at him.</p>
<p>“Is there something wrong?”</p>
<p>“N-No, you’re just really beautiful!” Axl replied nervously, and Slash fucking blushed at that.</p>
<p>“Let’s go before the others kill us!” He stated, and Axl followed him.</p>
<p>Slash sat in the back seat, squeezed between Steven and Axl, while Duff and Izzy seemed to be pretty distracted by each other.</p>
<p>He tightened his grip on the corsage, feeling a bit anxious: he didn’t know how Axl was going to act. Would he be sweet and caring? Or cold and distant? Would they have an opportunity to be alone and talk? Slash needed to talk to him, needed to make him understand that he wasn’t just a toy to play with.</p>
<p>“What have those flowers done to you?” Axl asked, chuckling.</p>
<p>“They were for Joan, but I actually want to give them to you now,” Slash replied. Then he mentally face-palmed himself. Really Slash? Really?</p>
<p>Axl blushed, his pale cheeks turning the same shade of red as his hair. He snatched the corsage from Saul’s hands and then suddenly he seemed really interested in looking outside the window.</p>
<p>Eventually Duff put some music on, which made Steven start dancing happily and singing off key.</p>
<p>At some point, Slash felt a hand on his own, then Axl placed another corsage into Slash’s hand; he didn’t say anything but also he didn’t pull his hand away either, so Slash just decided to let it be, focusing his on the song that was playing. The redhead started to tap his fingers, following the music’s rhythm, and Slash felt like they were in his bedroom again, Axl running his fingers through his hair. </p>
<p>How long is this going to last? </p>
<p>Saul was pulled from his thoughts when the car stopped in front of the school’s parking lot. Steven bolted outside, ready to let his energy run wild; Duff and Izzy were still talking and smiling like two idiots in love, and Slash wanted to kill them. He didn’t know why, maybe it was because they were already getting too sappy, maybe it was because he was jealous.</p>
<p>He and Axl still had their hands entwined, but as soon as Axl noticed, he quickly let go and got out of the car. Slash couldn’t help but feel a bit upset, then he decided to exit the car and actually have fun. He just wanted to drink, and he was hoping that someone had spiked the punch.</p>
<p>The flashy lights and loud music started to annoy Slash, so he used his curls as a shield. There were many teenagers, just like them, dancing, drinking, eating or kissing (well, more like trying to eat each other’s faces). </p>
<p>Steven started to pull them towards the dance floor one by one as soon as a stupid pop song blasted through the room.</p>
<p>“C’mon, boys, it’s only prom once!” He said, excited, while starting to dance. </p>
<p>The others couldn’t help but dance, too, finding their friend too cute to care about embarrassing themselves. Slash and Duff tried their most awkward best friends’ moves, while Axl tried, unsuccessfully, to make Izzy do a weird choreography. The redhead made sure to avoid Slash at all costs.</p>
<p>They did that for a couple of songs, and they also started to get a little drunk (thanks to Duff and his hidden vodka!) and everybody seemed to have a lot more fun. Duff and Izzy were getting closer to each other, the blond trying to subtly touch the black-haired boy, Steven tried to flirt with every free girl he laid his eyes on, and Axl seemed to be less distant and went to dance near Slash again.</p>
<p>Slash really enjoyed being with his friends and dancing like idiots with them, but a part of him was still thinking about what could have been a prom with only Axl. Just the two of them slow dancing, maybe flirting with each other and even kissing, but he knew that there was no way in hell that Axl would have done that in front of their friends.</p>
<p>Slash felt someone tugging at his wrist, then somebody took his hand and literally dragged him towards the bathroom. Of course it was Axl.</p>
<p>Axl stopped only when he was sure that nobody was there. Slash looked him in the eyes—they were a bit glossy, a sign that he was a bit tipsy, but he was also totally cable of thinking clearly. He probably gained some liquid courage, because what he said next shocked the curly-haired boy.</p>
<p>“I-I think I own you an explanation.”</p>
<p>“You think so?” Slash shot back sarcastically, before mumbling out an apology.</p>
<p>“I know I’ve acted like a dick, and I hurt you but I….” Axl stopped, looking around the room.</p>
<p>“But you what?” Saul asked, confused.</p>
<p>“But I’m scared. Because I really meant it when I proposed to go to prom with you that day. And I’m scared that my stepdad would find out, and he’d do some not so nice things to me!” He paused, and Slash understood that he had to be scared of that man; he decided to not touch that topic. </p>
<p>Axl took a deep breath, then he added, “And I’m also scared of what you do to me, how I feel when I’m with you. I don’t want to poison you or make you deal with my shitty life! But at the same time, I love when you’re next to me.”</p>
<p>“I wanted to go to prom with you. You know, do stupid date stuff, like slow dancing and maybe kissing! You could’ve told me that before, we could have found a way!” Slash replied, wanting almost to laugh at the situation.</p>
<p>Suddenly a slow song started to play. Axl looked Slash in the eyes, then he gently grabbed his hands.</p>
<p>“Can I have this dance?” He said with a smile. </p>
<p>How did he sound so sexy and badass even when he was being a goof?</p>
<p>Slash nodded, and the redhead pulled him closer, his hands resting on Slash’s waist. Saul laid his head on Axl’s shoulder as they started to sway gently. They stayed like that for a while, Axl’s hands moving from Slash’s waist, up to his shoulders, and finally to his fluffy hair.</p>
<p>As soon as the song finished, Slash kissed Axl. He didn’t hesitate, he just knew it was the right thing to do; Axl kissed him back, being as tender and sweet as the curly-haired boy.</p>
<p>“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that without asking first!” Slash admitted, afraid that he had scared the other boy.</p>
<p>“No, it’s okay. I wanted to do it, actually,” Axl replied, smiling. </p>
<p>Damn, Slash just loved his smile.</p>
<p>“How comfortable would you be with PDA?” Saul asked.</p>
<p>“We can hold hands and slow dance. I don’t think I’m ready for a public kiss, I’m sorry! I know you’re too beautiful to be hidden but I swear that when I’ll sort things out, I’ll show you off non-stop!” Axl answered.  </p>
<p>Slash took his hand and led him outside: the first thing he saw was Duff and Izzy dancing really close together; Axl grinned at the scene while dragging Slash towards the two boys.</p>
<p>“We’re cock-blocking you!” He joked, while Izzy almost elbowed him in the stomach.</p>
<p>“Don’t you have to pretend that you don’t like Slash?” Izzy replied, annoyed.</p>
<p>“Been there, done that!” Slash said, raising their tangled hands.</p>
<p>“Well, at least now you won’t annoy me anymore,” Duff smirked, while continuing to dance with Izzy.</p>
<p>Slash smiled and started to head towards the food table, but Axl gently pulled his wrist and moved closer. He started dancing like he did in the bathroom earlier, but a little more awkward and unsure. The curly-haired boy led him without judging him: he was proud of the effort his boyfriend was putting in (could he call him that?) and he wanted to enjoy all the little moments they could.</p>
<p>“Did you already have a crush on me?” Saul asked out of the blue. “I mean, you proposed to go to prom with me straight away!” He added with a mischievous smile. Axl’s cheeks became as red as his hair.</p>
<p>“Kind of. As soon I saw you, I knew I had to take you to prom. Then, well, I was an idiot and almost screwed up everything!”</p>
<p>“You’ve been an idiot, but you’re my idiot now!” Slash affirmed, only to melt after seeing the redhead’s beautiful smile.</p>
<p>Apparently that was the last dance of the night, so the boys all got in Duff’s car again, ready to go home.</p>
<p>“I wanna sleep at your place, if that it’s okay with you,” Axl whispered, petting Slash’s hair. The curly-haired boy had his head on Axl’s shoulder, and he tilted it a bit.</p>
<p>“Are you sure? Won’t it have consequences?” He questioned, a bit worried. The older boy simply shook his head, then intertwined their hands.</p>
<p>Duff dropped them off after ten minutes, recommending that his friends used condoms, and Slash opened the front door.</p>
<p>They were alone and tired, so they decided to change into something comfortable (Slash had to throw clothes on Axl, who just wanted to sleep in his boxers) and cuddle in his bed.</p>
<p>They were hugging each other tightly, occasionally giving little kisses on each other’s cheeks. They stayed like that for a bit, until Slash started to drift off; but this time he wasn’t afraid that Axl would leave, so he snuggled even closer to him.</p>
<p>“This mean that we’re boyfriends, right?” Axl asked.</p>
<p>“Of course, Rosie, I didn’t bust my ass this long for nothing!” Slash said, sleepy. </p>
<p>“Love ya, puddle head,” Axl replied, closing his eyes.</p>
<p>“Love you too, angry kitten,” Slash shot back as he felt himself slowly starting to fall asleep.</p>
<p>After all, Duff was wrong: Slash didn’t get his heart broken and he finally had Axl at his side.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks so much to @westcoasting for correcting all my gramar mistakes</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks so much to @westcoasting for correcting all my gramar mistakes</p></blockquote></div></div>
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